Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
adjoining border regions, and (ii) EU mem-
bership on the development of such flows.
There were a number of EU-assisted
programmes aimed at cross-border cooper-
ation before its eastern enlargement in
2004. After 2004 Slovakia and other ECE
countries developed a large number of ini-
tiatives in the field of transport infrastruc-
ture, cross-border cooperation and creation
of Schengen-type borders (European Com-
mission, 2001; MVSR, 2004a, 2004b,
2004c). Most of these initiatives were
heavily subsidized from the EU Structural
and Cohesion Funds (MVRRSR, 2004a,
2004b). This part of the chapter relies on
the author's survey on border regions and
information provided by Slovakia's central
authorities and official documents.
Fig. 8.1.
Slovakia: territorial structure - counties
and borders.
Eastern Slovakia
, a peripheral region bor-
dering a marginal region in the Ukraine; and
●
Bratislava City,
a developed region neigh-
bouring Austria (Fig. 8.1).
●
Particular combinations of border regions
provide for very diverse cross-border flows. In
turn, diverse flows have very different impacts
on economic and social developments in the
border regions.
Within this context, this chapter, focusing
on Slovakia, has three central themes:
Change and Stability
Transformation of international travel in ECE
after 1989 was set by two groups of factors, with
the first being of greater importance than the
second:
first, it looks at changes in volumes and
structures of international travel in Slovakia
in the period 1989-2004 and compares
these with developments in other ECE
countries. It examines particular factors
underlying shifts in cross-border travel pat-
terns before and after Slovakia's accession
to the EU. This part of the chapter draws
mostly on secondary statistical sources
provided by the national statistical offices;
●
1. Framework factors. These resulted in an
overall change in the social and economic situa-
tion of the country. Changes in international
travel were only a by-product of a wider transi-
tion, which included removal of passport and
visa barriers; establishment of a market eco-
nomy, and gradual incorporation of the ECE
countries into EU structures.
2. Tourism industry-specific factors. These
included state sponsorship of tourism marketing
abroad and various financial aid schemes for
the tourism sector. These initiatives lacked
financial resources and had only a limited
impact on tourism development, in the early
phase of transition in particular.
second, it considers the importance of
selected travel motives on the volume and
structure of cross-border tourist exchange.
Special attention is paid to understanding
differential and selective integration of
border regions into the global economy in
terms of their position in a national economy
subject to intense market reforms and
internationalization, and also in relation to
their trans-border international neighbours.
Here the paper draws on tourist surveys by
national tourist authorities and a survey
with mayors of municipalities in Slovak
border regions, conducted by the author
(Williams
et al
., 2001);
●
The volume and structure of tourist flows to
and from Slovakia before 1989 were mostly
determined by political considerations (Johnson,
1995). Tourism flows with the EU were con-
strained by a number of passport and visa bar-
riers. Visitors from Western countries accounted
for only 5% of total movements. Tourism
exchanges with three neighbouring state socialist
countries (the German Democratic Republic,
Poland and Hungary) were relatively free and
third,
it
considers
impacts
of:
(i)
cross-
●
border
flows
on
the
development
of
